Chipper Time is Coming...

Every year at about this time you can count on seeing a plump, jolly old fellow with white hair and beard, a bright red suit, rosy cheeks and a large bag filled with what could definitely be presents. He is said to have a fondness for snow and cookies and may even be flanked by some cute reindeer. Sightings of this fellow usually occur in shopping malls, at holiday parades, and even in downtown Alpharetta near the lighted Christmas tree. Yup! That's the guy I'm talking about. Santa! We don't need to mention much more about him since he has a good PR team and is already very well-known.

There's another slightly less well-known character that you may also catch sight of at this time of year. She is also rather plump, has a big flat tail and a toothy grin. Being a friend of Santa, this character often wears a pink Santa hat and dress. She doesn't really care about snow, cookies, presents or even reindeer. What Chipper loves is Christmas trees!

On January 5th at The Home Depot on 5300 Windward Parkway, Alpharetta, we will be hosting a party called “Bring One for the Chipper”. Please bring your Christmas trees for recycling that day from 9 am until 3 pm.

“Chipper” is our beaver mascot. She will be able to chomp on all the trees she wants and then the rest will be ground into mulch by the Davey Tree Company. One request: please remove all decorations, lights, garland, ornaments, tinsel and tree stands from the tree before dropping it off for recycling. Additionally, we can't take flocked trees because “Chipper” doesn't like to chomp on ornaments, wires and such. Yuck!

If you can't make it to the Alpharetta location on January 5th, you can look on the Earth911.com website to find other tree recycling locations. If you can't make it to any tree recycling location that day, you can always put your tree in your backyard as cover for small birds. In Alpharetta, you can also put it out for curbside pick-up and disposal if you are unable to take it to a drop-off site for recycling.

This program is brought to you by the City of Alpharetta and the Alpharetta Natural Resource Commission. If you have any questions about 'Bring One for the Chipper', please contact Terry Porter, City of Alpharetta Engineering & Public Works, (678) 297-6200 or tporter@alpharetta.ga.us.